Brooklyn Pop-up Wedding Series

The brainchild of The Wedding Library and Brooklyn Bride, the Brooklyn Pop-Up Wedding Series is a month long, completely unique wedding event helping brides (and grooms!) plan their day- from stationary, dresses, bonbonniere... to the Martha Stewart Weddings Pop-Up Chapel!

A lucky few couples had the opportunity to marry in the custom-built chapel, right in the heart of Brooklyn.

It looks fun- brave couples! Would you get married in the heart of Brooklyn? Rundle Mall? A store on Oxford Street or Chapel Street?

A 1920's themed Southern Wedding

I cannot tell you how many times today I have looked at these gorgeous photos of Ed & Ginny's 1920's themed wedding.

Head over to Once Wed and see more of this beautiful day.

The most imaginative invite EVER

Isn't it great?
(click to enlarge)
From this clever couple

Monday's Muse: Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow is someone who I've always admired for her elegance, style and love of fashion. Gwyneth is a muse today, not for her wedding photos as she has only ever submitted one photo to the public, a very low-key one at that, but for her wonderful taste which inspires me.

Gywneth and Chris Martin after their secret ceremony, December 5th 2003 in Santa Barbara

Her ridiculously gorgeous Hampton's home which is stylish and homey.

Images from Domino

Gwyn rocking the red carpet, the poster-girl for 'pale is pretty'. I admire her flashing her pale legs and not resorting to a spray tan!

Images from Style.com and here

For more Gwyneth, check out GOOP.

Our weekend at Milton Park

was just wonderful!
Walks through the gardens, dinner at the Hordern restaurant, a glass of Noble One in the Polo Bar, red wine by the fireplace in one of the many lounges and breakfast in the beautiful new Orangerie room. bliss.

Canturi Bridal Collection

Canturi’s Cubism designs

A decadent arrangement of baguette and carre cut diamonds in a geometric pattern. This design is unique to Canturi and is inspired by the Cubism art movement.

Canturi's stunning take on the classic solitaire

Canturi Metropolis diamond ring

www.canturi.com

Pretty Placecards

Paper butterflies, birds or seashells alight on the rims of champagne glasses or napkin rings, staying still just long enough for guests to find their seats.
These eye-catching, imaginative place cards are from Etsy seller Timeless Paper.

Placecards on the rim of a glass

Placecards on a napkin ring

Designer Emily hand crafts these pretty paper designs herself. The cappuccino coloured dots seen here can be created to be matched to your event.
The napkin ring is embellished with a pretty paper cutout eyelet pattern.

Perfect for weddings, dinner parties or any occasion you want to impress your guests! See more of Emily's talent at her blog here.

On sale now- Wedding Style Guide

How gorgeous does this issue look?

Even better, subscribe to Wedding Style Guide and you have the chance to win a Monique Lhuillier Femme Fatale tableware collection and Atelier Crystal collection.

As if I needed an excuse after spending Monday longing for Monique Lhuilliers fabulous style!

The art of Calligraphy

I've long thought hand-writing is something of an art and appreciate good penmanship more than most. I still remember getting my pen license and have been known to re-start the shopping list if I make an error (though that may have more to do with perfectionist issues than hand-writing?)
3 months before the wedding I decided to take up a calligraphy class with the intention of doing my own calligraphy. I walked into the class already envisioning placecards and envelopes featuring the flourishes of my own beautiful calligraphy...
The lovely calligraphy of Julie Williams is featured above in my wedding place-card. It turns out I should have been envisioning the blobs of ink that would mar each word and just how tricky it was to get the writing straight. Even the simplest of letters could go awry and while practise eventually made (almost) perfect it just wasn't in time for the wedding.
Thankfully a quick phone call secured me access to Julie's stunning calligraphy.

A peek at Julie's portfolio and that of other calligraphers showcases what a wonderful art calligraphy is and what skill it requires. The effect is of course amazing and well worth the practise!

Calligraphy by Julie Williams

Calligraphy by Lesley Workman


Some international inspirations...

Calligraphy by Tracy-Joe

Calligraphy by Bryn of Paperfinger.

Calligraphy from Linea-Carter

A few tips for choosing a calligrapher;
- Look at their portfolio and choose someone whose work you like.
- Find out all the costs up front. Usually a calligrapher charges by item for place cards and invitations and by line for envelopes.
- Look at the different font options. There are many, so choose one that suits your occasion. If this leaves you feeling lost, have a chat to the calligrapher and explain the event as well as giving examples of writing you like.
- Take into consideration how many items you need done and make sure you give your calligrapher time to complete the job.
- Check the spelling of your guest names, addresses and anything else you are getting written at least twice, and have someone else look over it. Any spelling errors on something you supply are your responsibility and will mean extra time and money.
- Enjoy your works of art. Calligraphy adds a touch of elegance that you and your guests will appreciate.